


no matter how long it takes

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: 1000 words, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Character Death, Demons, Hunters & Hunting, Knight Dave Strider, M/M, Magic Curse, Prince John Egbert, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:42:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24420766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The rain pouring down on the land, drenching even the forest floor. Dave rushed on horse back through the trees. Desperate to kill the beast on the land that had cursed his lover.
Relationships: John Egbert/Dave Strider
Kudos: 15





	no matter how long it takes

The pounding sounds of Dave's Clydesdale's steel shoes trampling the wet ground beneath it filled the air along with the sounds of heavy rain and clapping thunder. The forest floor was drenched, even with the thick leaves from the tall trees. Mud flung behind the huge beast as Dave trailed after it. He had to catch up, had to unsheathe his sword when he finally got close, but Dave's horse was losing speed. Dave slapped the side of his heel into his steed to get it to gallop faster.

The beast was finally in his grasps, after all these weeks in the woods searching. The team that came with Dave gave up the search to grab more rations. Dave stayed behind with the rest. The knight didn't expect to hear the beast clawing apart a deer about a hop, skip and step away from Dave but the damned creature appeared with the dead caucus like a spirit. Dave wasted no time grabbing his steed and his blade. Dave unsheathed it as he rode towards the beast and only managed to cut of a sliver of it's ear. The damn thing kept running.

The beast was like nothing Dave had even seen. Antlers like a deer, head shaped almost like a lions, body big like a bear but it ran faster than his horse with it's tall, proud legs. Doesn't matter. This is where the demon dies. Then suddenly A clap of thunder hits the tree next to the long the forest's path the beast was rushing down. A bright white flash filled the air. Dave's horse flung back and Dave crashed to the ground. The beast was getting away. Dave grabbed his sword and then rushed to back away from his traumatized horse. Dave stepped to the side and watched the beast get away through the thick bars of pounding rain. Dave was coated in mud and the fall alone wounded him. But not all was lost, after Dave calms his horse, heads back to their shelter he will wait for his countrymen to return. 

Now that Dave saw the beast, and slit it with his very blade, Dave can rally his men with comforts of knowing that it is real. And now Dave knows where it lives, where it hunts at least. Dave is sure that he can track down the beast now that he knows that it wasn't a fabrication.

Dave finally began the task of calming down his steed. It could take another hour before the damn thing would stop screaming and stomping around. The bright white clap of thunder continued to rage on in the distance, not helping the scared Clydesdale's nerves. Dave sighed. His quest will have continue another day, one that is not thundering. Dave fears that his horse will forever be scared by the sound of thunder and lighting strikes now. Hopefully the men will be back by then to help on a rare clear day in the black forests. The men will have to return soon. They never had an option to abandon the quest, they were requested by Dave and selected by the king to track down the beast with Dave leading the front.

Dave was the trusted knight to John Egbert, the heir to the thrown. John had visited the forests, he wanted to take a break from the usual daily grinds of the palace life of a diplomate and pick mushrooms to make a stew for his beloved. The prince feel ill shortly after he returned with a basket of forest mushrooms. Each one was fine to eat. No one know what struck him. Then markings began to show on John's arms. Once the prince was struck with a vile curse... an ailment followed. John feel into a deep sleep. The witches in the land attempted to undo the curse once they were summoned by the king, each one of them failed. One witch however, had confessed that she knew the source of the ailment and that they all secretly did but did not dare speak it's name for it is one of the demon's they pay worship too. A demon that lives in the blackest parts of the forest, the search was dangerous for the many creatures sleeping in it loved to claim human's souls and lives for their own. The beast was known to take refuge in the deepest and darkest parts of the overgrown forest, so Dave was caught off guard by it steeping around the lighter trails. Perhaps the beast was hunting for a tamer animal to kill than the other monsters living in the forests, much like how it claimed John's soul with a mark and began to suck up his life to fuel its own. It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters to Dave is taking half of the beast's carcass back to the castle.The witches can take it's blood and grind it's bone marrow into a fine paste and use it to awake John from his slumber and cure his ailment. Yes. The only thing that matters is the beasts death.

It took another two days for the men to return, when they did they did not bring rations or supplies. Only news. Word of the prince's death at their arrival. Dave's sudden shock was masked only by his anger. The knight got right to leading the charge for the beast's demise. The whole damn forest would burn and shake under Dave's wrath. He hunted down the animal, luring it out with the very fire his fury started. Dave wounded it, cut open it's flesh and once the beast was down Dave had his men help skin it alive. No matter how many times they stabbed at the beast, it wouldn't die. No matter. It may live through it's bones being picked apart and it's blood draining. It was an refused to die, no matter, Dave decided to kill it until it stayed dead. No matter how long it takes.


End file.
